TENDER BORDER AND BEDDING PLANTS. 325 
lightly cover with soil, then place a sheet of glass over the 
box and a piece of brown paper thereon. If the soil be well 
moistened with tepid water applied through a fine-rosed can 
before the glass is put on, no more water will be needed till 
the seeds sprout. When the seedlings show freely, gradually 
remove the paper and the glass and expose to the light. As 
soon as the third leaf has formed, transplant 2in. apart in 
other boxes, keep in heat till established, then remove to a 
cold frame. When sown in a cold frame, put in 6in„ of good 
soil, draw drills 6in. apart, and sow in these. Shade the frame 
till the seedlings appear. Transplant in due course to another 
frame, or on to a warm border, in which case protect at night 
with mats placed over a frame of wood. Or the seeds may 
be sown in boxes in the cold frame. In whatever way asters 
are raised avoid over-coddling, and endeavour to obtain sturdy 
rather than tall weakly plants. At the end of May plant out 
the seedlings 8 to i2in. apart in the beds or borders. Asters 
require a soil well enriched with rotten manure and a sunny 
position to yield the best results. On poor soil remove the top 
spit and put in 6in. of cow manure. Fork this well into the 
subsoil, then replace the top soil mixed with a little rotten 
manure. In dry weather give an ample supply of water and 
a mulching of rotten dung. Should the plants get infested with 
black fly spray them in the evening with an insecticide, applied 
with a sprayer or syringe. 
Canna (Indian Shot). — A genus of handsome foliage and 
showy flowering plants, belonging to the Nat. Ord. Scitamiaceae 
(Ginger family). Being a native of the Tropics the Canna is 
naturally a tender plant and only adapted for outdoor cultiva- 
tion in summer. The species are not grown for garden decora- 
tion, only the hybrids or varieties, of which a large number 
will be found in the leading florists’ catalogues. There are 
two types — the Gladiolus-flowered, which are dwarf growers, 
and the Orchid-flowered, tall growers. Some have green foliage 
and flowers of red, scarlet, yellow, orange and various shades ; 
others bronze and purple foliage and variously coloured 
flowers ; others orchid-like blossoms, the latter being very 
handsome. The reader is referred to trade lists for names of 
varieties. Cannas may be easily reared from seed and a good 
variety of colours obtained thus, but to obtain the best results 
it is better to purchase roots of named varieties in January, 
plant these in pots, and grow on in a temperature of 65 to 70 
deg. till May, then gradually harden off and plant out at 
the end of May. To rear cannas from seed, first file a little 
notch in each seed and then soak the seeds in tepid water for 
48 hours, when sow the seeds singly an inch deep in small 
pots filled with a compost of two parts leaf-mould and one part 
